Prevention of unwanted or unauthorized withdrawal of a firearm from a holster is a significant concern. On the other hand, allowing rapid withdrawal and readying of the firearm by authorized users (e.g., law enforcement officers) is desired.
Basic holsters are known which consist of a leather or plastic material body which forms a holster pocket for removably accommodating a handgun. Such holsters allow the handgun to be removed in one motion, but often provide no defense against unauthorized withdrawal. Furthermore, the handgun may inadvertently fall out of such holster, which is most undesirable.
Other holsters are known, such as the safety holster device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,018,654 to Clifton et al., which comprise a holster pocket and a removable strap. The removable strap impedes the vertical movement of a handgun in the holster via contacting the rear of the handgun. The removable strap may be detached via attaching snaps positioned on a side of the holster. Such safety holsters provide defense against unauthorized withdrawal but require more than one motion to remove the handgun. That is, a user must first unsnap the removable strap and then slide the handgun out of the safety holster. The user must learn a new behavior to remove the handgun. During a high stress situation, the user may attempt to remove the handgun using the single motion associated with basic holsters (i.e., sliding the handgun out of the holster). This motion will not successfully remove the handgun from such safety holsters, delaying removal and potentially endangering the user.
Biometric holster devices, such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,918,519 to Keller et al. comprise a holster, a locking member, and a biometric sensor. The locking member locks a handgun inserted into the holster by, for example, impeding movement of the trigger guard, and is actuated by the biometric sensor. The biometric sensor is positioned adjacent the holster opening. A user presses a finger against the biometric sensor. The biometric sensor scans the finger, compares the scan to stored biometric information and, if there is a match, actuates the locking member, thereby releasing the handgun. Such biometric holster devices provide defense against unauthorized withdrawal but require more than one motion to remove the handgun. Furthermore, analysis of biometric data may take significant time, delaying the unlocking of the handgun by an authorized user.
Given the foregoing, what are needed are devices which securely retain a holstered handgun or other firearm and allow authorized users to unlock and remove the handgun in a single motion.